Saturday, July 30, 2022, NSCC, Atlantic City, NJ

I was up at 6 a.m. on Saturday and out the door before 7 a.m. while Bob and Dave snoozed. The low priority dealer lottery for 2023 began at 7 a.m.

With no ride to the convention center, I needed to find transportation. I followed the signs in the lobby of Harrah's to the cab stand. No cabs. I asked the valet cashier to direct me to where I can find a cab. She told me to go to the front of the building. At the front, I saw a concierge talking to another guy about fishing. I patiently waited until they completed their conversation. The concierge called me a cab who arrived in minutes. I tipped the concierge 10 bucks.

Easy ride to the convention center. Cost was $15. I think I gave the cabby five or 10 bucks tip, I can't remember. In front of Room 202, I was greeted by the same board members as yesterday. I forgot to fill out my contract and was not let into the room until I had one completed.

Inside Room 202, pictured above, I was stopped at a table just inside the door occupied by two more board members. One of them attempted to look up my name on her multi-sheet documents apparently containing names of dealers. We had the same problem last year. Sure would be nice if they could place my name in their paperwork. Again, like last year, they wrote my name down on a note card and instructed I walk to the front of the room and hand the note card to board member Kevin Savage who was standing in front of a podium talking into a microphone and directing the festivities. I handed my notecard to Mr. Savage and walked over to chat with Gizmo who was sitting at a table with another board member.

Gizmo told me he overslept and just made it to the dealer lottery where, as a board member, he is required to work. We chatted for a while, and he showed me some photos of his grandkids. Cute.

Later in the day, Gizmo would be the talk of the show as apparently $80,000 worth of cards were taken from him in a bait and switch. I do not have any new details other than he still has not received the cards back. He did fill out a report with the Atlantic City police. I would advise that he file a lawsuit immediately.

Anyway, after chatting with Gizmo, I took a seat among the masses of low priority dealers. I saw Sean, who I know from Chicago. We both attended the John Marshall Law School (JMLS) in Chicago. I did not meet Sean at JMLS, even though we were both there at the same time. I actually met him at the old Sun-Times show in Rosemont which he regularly attended with Sandy Olken, a Constitutional Law professor at JMLS. I did not have Sandy for Con Law, I had Professor Connor. If I could go back in time, I would sign up for Sandy's class. 

Sean told me that Sandy retired from JMLS. We then realized that all of our professors from JMLS have retired. Sandy is living with his brother in Las Vegas. Sean told me that he is having a great time out there and plans to be in Chicago for the 2023 National. I look forward to seeing them both!

As a higher priority than me, Sean got called up to the board to pick out his booth for 2023. I then saw Mike Johnson and Dennis Barrett from Wisconsin. I went and sat by those guys who reported excellent sales. Mike and Dennis are a higher priority than me, they got called up to the board.

I got up to get another cup of coffee from Room 201. On my return, I saw Nicholas Parsons and chatted with him for a while. I am actually a higher priority than Nick, that was a first. Nick grew up in Wisconsin and now lives is the Chicago area. He runs his own monthly show in suburban Bridgeview. I am going to set up at his show in October. Nick sets up at my Oak Creek show and occasionally brings in autograph guests for me.

I also chatted with two guys who own a card shop in Erie, PA. Nice guys. This was their first time setting up at a National. I've already forgotten their names. I chatted briefly with Jason Galleske from Wisconsin, who is always a friendly face. I see Jason everywhere because he is everywhere. The man must have wings!

I realized I arrived at the dealer lottery much too early and could have stayed in bed another hour or so. I wanted to get there early in case the lottery moved along quickly. I was very concerned with being locked out of the 2023 show as I just barely made the cut for the 2022 show.

After about two hours, Kevin Savage called me up and I learned I was only allowed to pick two booths, not the three I was hoping for. I had a choice between 10 by 10's located in the back room or 10 by 15's located in a side room. I chose the two 10 by 15's because I am splitting the space with three other guys and needed the largest space possible. 

The 2023 show will probably be my last splitting space with other guys. In the past it has worked out for me but as my inventory has grown, I now need my own space and hope to have my own booth at the 2024 show, wherever that one may be. Some are saying Cleveland.

The 2023 National dealer space sold out shortly after I picked my booths. Quite a few guys who were set up in Atlantic City were shut out of Chicago. 

​It also seems like the corporate booths and breakers are taking over the show. Card dealers are being pushed out as evidenced by the large number of card dealers who were unable to secure booths for the 2023 National in Chicago. It is still the greatest show on the planet but I see problems ahead. Will people still attend once all of the card dealers are pushed out?

New management is taking over the show in 2024 but I do not see any benefit with these new guys who all run large shows out east. Ideally, I would like to see another Strongsville type show where all of the dealers are vintage but on a much larger scale. These corporate booths and this breaker stuff is for the birds. The hobby needs a large old school show where vintage dealers are featured. Though I enjoy seeing all the young guys with their man buns and briefcases.  

I returned back to my booth much later than I anticipated. This dealer lottery system blows chunks. There has got to be a better way to do this where dealers do not have to abandon their booths during the show.

Kind of a slow morning for sales as was the theme for the whole week. I did meet a collector who grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, and attended Stevenson High School, where my son is now a senior. The collector now lives in Seattle and flew to Atlantic City for the show.

I also got another chance to walk around. Once again, I saw some great vintage cards. I also ran into Tom and Anita Daniels who were set up right by the front door. This was their 41st National. I don't think there is a higher priority dealer than Tom and Anita. Such nice folks. They were wearing pins showing that this was their 41st National. Gizmo had on a similar pin at the dealer lottery.

Tom and Anita are sort of the godparents of sports card collecting in Madison, WI, as they owned a card shop there for decades. They set up at my Oak Creek show. I observed that they had different inventory in Atlantic City than in Oak Creek where they usually just bring out wax. In AC, they had vintage cards and some publications, including a 1927 Green Bay Packers program, pictured below. Though, they said their best seller had been $1 packs of cards.

Tom told me that when he leaves the show on Sunday, his goal is to make it to Cleveland and spend the night. I figured that would be a good goal for Dave and me as well.

I also saw Frank Pemper, a long-time dealer from Milwaukee. Frank was set up with his son. Like Tom and Anita, Frank and his kids are sooo nice. Frank likes video poker and we discussed our strategy. Neither of us were winning at video poker but we both had some fun.

Back at my booth, my friend Larry Navoy, who was staying in Philadelphia, stopped at Pat's Cheesesteaks on the way in and brought sandwiches for Bob, Dave and me. This was my first real Philly Cheesesteak. Oh my, was it good! At first look, the sandwich looks similar to Chicago's Italian beef sandwiches but I noticed the Philly beef has an entirely different flavor. I wonder what it is flavored with? Absolutely delicious. Thanks Larry!

Shortly after finishing my sandwich, security came over to the booth next door where the kids were selling candy and water. Security advised the kids that they could not sell candy and water at the show. The kids continued to sell their candy and water regardless. 

Sales slowed considerably on Saturday, even though there was a very large crowd. Friday sales were lights out. I was still happy with my Saturday sales.

After the show, we went back to Harrah's and back to the AC Hamburger Pub. Once again, childhood hero Bobby Hull was dining in there as well. Larry joined us this time. After dinner, we all split up again. My last night of video poker. I seemed to be able to stretch my money the furthest on this night but still did not get ahead. Total loss for the week was $160. Not bad. Great fun!

Off to bed for the last day of the National.

​Below are photos from Day 4 of the 2022 National:

Friday, July 29, 2022, NSCC, Atlantic City, NJ

The pay machine at the exit of the Harrah's parking lot frustrated Dave every morning. He seemed to do a little dance with the machine every a.m. until he could get the gate to rise. Once through the unforgiving gate, it was an easy drive to the convention center.

We saw Tim and Susan Payne walking in on Friday morning. Tim cracked some jokes and had us laughing. Once inside, Tim and I tried to find the location of Room 202, where the National's board of directors was holding its dealer lottery for booths for the 2023 National in Chicago.

Tim asked the folks at an information booth just inside the convention center doors who kindly directed us to Room 202. Tim and I walked over there. Tim was let right in while I was stopped at the door. The dealer lottery reminds me of law school where each student was pitted against each other. Just like law school, dealers at the lottery are essentially pitted against each other as they are assigned a number based on the amount of Nationals that they have attended. Tim is a high priority while I am a low priority, even though I have set up at many Nationals. The problem for me is that I only put it under my name a couple of times. The others were under the names of friends, and we all shared the booths. I don't get any credit for all the times I set up under someone else's name.

A board member who I know from the Strongsville show gave me a contract and instructed that I return tomorrow for the low priority dealer lottery. I walked away with my tail between my legs.

Back at the booth, I performed my normal opening routine by filling all of the holes in my display cases from cards that were sold the previous day. As soon as I finished rearranging the cards, a guy who purchased my 1951 Bowman Duke Snider the previous day came back to return the card. He said it had a crease that he did not see when he purchased it. I explained to him that I price my cards to condition and the reason I had the Snider priced so low was because it had a crease. I explained that he cannot purchase a crease-free '51 Bowman Snider at my price anywhere. I returned his money but was pissed off. I am not a library and I do not appreciate returns when I provide customers every opportunity to inspect the cards prior to purchase and, most importantly, I had the card properly priced. 

Things brightened up when a father and son team, with a skip in their gate, approached. The dad announced: "I am Rich Sailor from Erie, Pennsylvania, and I am a big fan of your blog."

How cool was that? Thanks Rich! I needed a pick me up after that dealer lottery experience and the return of the Snider. I enjoyed chatting with Rich and his son and I really appreciate their support! I think Rich purchased some cards but I can't remember. As I get further away from the show, my memory has become spotty. I took some notes while at the show but they are not very detailed.

I do remember that Jeff and Max, who bought some cards from me on Thursday, came back Friday and bought some more cards including a 1968 Topps Roberto Clemente All Star. Thanks guys!

I mispoke in my Thursday blog, I see in my notes that I sold a 1938 Goudey to an OBC member, who really beat me up on the price. 

I also remember that I had some good sales early on then things sort of died down. I went for a walk and explored the show a bit. I saw some amazing vintage cards. A few folks had commented earlier that there was not much in the way of vintage at the show. I don't know what they were talking about! There was a ton of vintage at the show. I have never seen so many '52 Mantles and '33 Goudey Ruths!! Cool, cool, stuff. I only saw about a third of the room because I can't sell any cards if I am not at the booth.

When I returned to the booth, Dave handed me some cash as he sold some cards for me while I was away. Thanks Dave!

My buddy Bob purchased me a burger from the concession stand. Thanks Bob! It was a decent burger. Surprisingly thick and tasty. Again, no toppings other than ketchup. Wish they had a little onion.

After finishing my burger, I sat around some more as sales lagged. I noticed that the hall was not nearly as crowded as Thursday. While I sat there twiddling my thumbs, a pretty lady, who I'd say was 25 or 26 years old, started viewing my display cases. She made some comments on some of the cards which alerted me to the fact that she was a real customer and not some overly-muscled Jersey-guy's girlfriend. There were so many overly muscled dudes at the show that I decided if I ever return to Atlantic City, I will wear a fake muscle suit so I can fit in and be cool (It sure is nice being back home in Chicago where everybody is short and fat like me!). I think you have to be able to bench press 300 p0unds in order to receive a driver's license in New Jersey which would explain the large number of muscle-bound dudes.

Anyway, pretty lady told me that her father's birthday was approaching, and she was looking for some cards to get him as a birthday gift. She said that she has been buying him cards the past few years and it is brought her and her father closer together, strengthening their relationship. Pretty cool, I thought. I asked her if she would speak to my daughter and encourage her to buy me cards. She laughed then picked out a 1966 Topps Mickey Mantle and a Roger Maris and paid me. Much appreciated.

I wanted to talk to her some more but she drew a crowd to my table -- none were there to buy cards. All the nerdy guys wanted to listen to me and the pretty lady talk and just look at her. There is a reason why so many dealers hire models to stand by their booths. It is funny how nerdy guys flock to these pretty ladies but then don't know what to say to them. Word of advice -- women do not come to card shows to meet nerdy guys. They are usually there to accompany their father, grandfather, husband, boyfriend or kids. Many, actually collect cards and are there to make purchases. None are there to meet chubby Harold from Hoboken with the large mustard stain on his shirt.

The pretty lady and her crowd of stalkers actually lured customers to my booth. Things picked up considerably. Maybe I need to hire some models to hang out at the booth! 

There was a father and son team that had visited my booth both Wednesday and Thursday but did not buy anything. On this day, they picked out a nice pile of cards. The dad told me that they flew in from San Francisco. The son, about six or seven years old, carried a wolf stuffed animal. He waved the paw at me. Very cute. 

Then another father and son team that visited the booth all three days without making purchases, finally bought some cards as well including a 1962 Topps Mickey Mantle and a 1960 Topps Roberto Clemente. While I was helping these guys, I wondered why the son, about 12 years old, had his arm in a sling. He told me he broke his arm attempting a 720 while skiing. I had to Google 720, having no clue what it is. Google told me that a 720, also called 720 cork, is a type of jump where the skier jumps in the air and sort of half flips backwards. There are all sorts of YouTube videos on it.

Then there was another father and son team that came by for the first time and the son purchased my 1970 Topps Hank Aaron BVG 8. A young guy then came by and complained about a printing mark on my 1967 Topps Mickey Mantle and did not purchase anything. I saw a lot of picky buyers during the course of the show. I think they are initially lured in by my cheap prices but once they see the flaws in the card, they back off. If you want a flawless Mantle, you are going to have to PAY... and PAY, and PAY, for one.

I ended up selling that '67 Mantle to Sean, who I met last year in Chicago. Sean is a judge in Michigan. He also purchased my 1957 Topps Mickey Mantle and my 1961 Topps Mickey Mantle MVP. Thanks Sean!

Umm, after a slow morning, I ended up having a really, really, really good day selling cards. It was awesome!! I sold a TON of cards in the afternoon.

I saw some more people I knew from home like Tommy Larson, who purchased a bunch of T206 cards from the dealer across the way. Tommy sat down there for a while.

After the show, we went straight back to Harrah's and dined at the AC Burger Pub in the casino. Huge, amazing burgers. Though the highlight was seeing childhood hero Bobby Hull eat there as well.

Bob, Dave and I split up after dinner. I went to video poker, Dave went to the slots, while Bob went to the poker tables. I only played about an hour or so then started to walk back to our room. I called my wife to check in. While I was talking on the phone, Jake Boyce came out of the Harrah's sundry shop and said hello. I thought it was pretty cool running into Jake who sets up at my Oak Creek show. He told me he was not set up at the National and drove out with a buddy to check out the show.

I was in bed by 10 p.m. because I had to wake up at 6 a.m. for the low priority dealer lottery for next year's National.

​Here are some photos from Friday at the National....

This last picture is of me looking exhausted at the end of the night Friday while in Harrah's Casino. I went to bed shortly after this photo.

Thursday, July 28, 2022, Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, NJ

I forgot to report in my Day 1 blog that around midnight I went to Harrah's 24-hour Italian cafe and ate a delicious sub sandwich. When I went back to the room, I was unable to see much out the large picture window because it was pitch black out. In the morning I was able see a most amazing view, pictured above. I loved looking out that window all week and now miss that view now that I am home.

I met our host Gregg Klien first thing in the morning. What a great guy! He really took such great care of us. We chatted briefly about his collection of unopened wax before he was summoned away. I was able to give him a dealer badge which was the least I could do. I am so far in his debt. We had such a great time at Harrah's!

Once at the show, all I saw were people. The second day of the 2022 National was all about people... lots of people. The place was jammed! It was so crowded that walking through the aisles was extremely difficult. I can't even tell you what I sold. All I know is that I sold a TON of cards and Thursday was my best day.

Though, sales actually started out slow. I did not have much action in the morning. Around noon I went to the concession stand and purchased a hot dog. Once back at the booth, I was unable to eat the dog because everybody and their mother suddenly wanted to purchase my cards. The hot dog was real cold by the time I finished it. I have to say that it was a decent dog regardless. I just wish there was some onion and tomatoes available for toppings.

On the buying front, same as yesterday. Everyone who showed up at the booth with cards to sell was way over priced. I just started to tell people I was not buying. It was just a huge waste of time to look at these overpriced cards. Especially in the afternoon when I had nothing but buyers at my table.

My buddy Bob spent the day walking the floor and making purchases. He came back to the booth with a pile of T206s. Cool stuff!

I saw more people I knew like childhood buddy Ross Forman. I saw Milwaukee's own Nelson Rodriguez. Bill Nest stopped by in between getting autographs. Gregg Klein stopped by as well and said he was really impressed with the show. I hope Gregg comes out to Chicago next year. It was nice to see familiar faces at the show.

Seemed to be a big Pittsburgh contingency at the show. I saw nothing but Roberto Clemente jerseys on Thursday.

Not a whole lot to report on Thursday other than I was extremely busy in the afternoon. It sure was fun selling so many cards!

Once back at Harrah's, we met Gregg at the Gordon Ramsay Steak House. We were a little late because traffic was horrible around the convention center. Gregg patiently waited for us.

A pretty hostess seated us in the middle of the restaurant. All sorts of folks came by to say hello from waiters, the restaurant manager and the chef. We were treated like royalty. I always order a New York strip when I am at a steak house and ordered one here. I also ordered lobster bisque soup. Gregg had the filet and Bob and Dave had the delmonico steak. Everybody's food looked phenomenal. The lobster bisque was unique. I received a large bowl containing a ball of lobster in the middle. The server then poured the soup over the ball of lobster. It was quite delicious. My steak was thick and tasty.

We also had some sides like fingerling potatoes that came with parmesan cheese, truffle butter and chives. Tasty. Then we had shitake mushrooms in a soy glaze, fried garlic and scallions. Amazingly good. Then street corn made with poblano, lime, chipotle ancho-spice, and corn crema. The corn had a kick and was incredible. I've never had corn so good.

Then we split some decadent desserts including a chocolate peanut butter bar made with crisp chocolate, peanut butter and milk chocolate mousse, chocolate glaze, roasted candied peanuts, and chocolate crunchies -- oh my! Then we had the sticky toffee pudding which may be the most amazing dessert I have ever tasted. This item was made up of a light, creamy cake covered in sticky toffee sauce and brown butter ice cream. Gregg said this is Gordon Ramsay's grandmother's recipe and he will not share it. I don't blame him, it is just amazing.

It was nice to have an opportunity to chat with Gregg. Before I met him, I kind of pictured him to look and sound like Joe Pesci. But Gregg is a normal looking guy, a very smart and hard working guy who collects cards. Bob commented that Gregg is just like us.

Gregg told us that he has a bachelor's degree in economics from Rutgers University and a masters in finance from Rutgers. He spent a good number of years working as a financial analyst on Wall Street before coming to Harrah's. He kept us entertained with great stories about Harrah's. We really enjoyed hanging out with Gregg. 

Operating a casino hotel is far more complex than I ever imagined. I plan on going back to Harrah's Atlantic City for a vacation with my family. It was so fun!

After dinner, Gregg had to go back to work while Bob, Dave and I went to the casino. I played video poker for about an hour then went up to the room and fell asleep. Bob and Dave came back a few hours later than I did.

What a great day!!!

​Below are some photos from the second day of the show.

Pictured above is the side aisle of our booth. The guy in the booth across the way wearing the blue shirt had an amazing inventory of vintage cards. He also wore a different T-shirt each day that depicted a classic vintage card.

This is a view of my walk to the rest room. I had a strange customer, who purchased a bunch of cards but really beat me up on the price. He claimed that the PSA dealer pictured on the left attempted to steal his 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie. The customer said he submitted the card to the dealer who was in turn supposed to submit it to PSA. The customer said that when he went to the booth to check on the card, the dealer had no record of the Mantle. The customer said that he then went back to the booth accompanied by a member of the media and the dealer conveniently found the Mantle. The customer said he was upset over the whole ordeal and seemed to beg for my sympathy. It was kind of weird. I felt like the guy was trying to use this story as a way to get me to reduce my prices. I gave him a discount but not nearly as large of a discount as he had sought.

It was not fun trying to walk around the National on Thursday.

Pictured above is the road in front of the convention center as we sat in traffic after the show trying to get back to Harrah's.

Pictured above is our amazing dessert at the Gordon Ramsay Steak House at Harrah's. Oh my!

Wednesday, July 27, 2022, Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, NJ

We left HoJo at 8 a.m. and found a little diner up the road that was straight out of the movie of the same name. I had some eggs and bacon while Dave dined on pancakes. Great service.

We were on the road to Atlantic City by 9 a.m. Easy drive. Not much traffic. We arrived in about 40 minutes. Once at the convention center, I suggested we head to the loading dock. Dave wanted to park in the parking garage. Seemed like we walked all over and finally found the VIP desk. The lady at the VIP desk told us to go to the loading dock.

So my dealer packet instructed us to go inside first, before loading in, to a booth by the escalator to pick up our dealer badges... such a booth did not exist. We drove to the loading dock which was really small. Not much room. I advised Dave to double park. I exited the vehicle and started to walk toward a desk by the loading entry but was stopped by an A-Hole security guard who said we could not double park. I asked him where we should park. He pointed to the wall behind me. Dave backed up and parked up against the wall.

I walked over to the desk and picked up our dealer badges. Dave loaded in first, then came back for me then I brought in my stuff. Once at our booth, I could see that the dealers on either side pinched some of our space and stole one of our tables. Someone also took my "Fat Daddy's Sports" sign with our booth number that was provided by the promoters. Why would someone take the sign?

Dave began to set up while I went to the dealer service center to order another table and a sign. I had to wait at our booth a good half hour before the table showed up. The sign never arrived.

Dave took the primo spot in the main aisle as usual. I placed a 6-foot table on the side aisle, then placed an 8-foot table along the side into the booth with a little opening so customers could walk into the booth. I was only able to place out seven display cases when I brought 9 cases. I lost out to the other dealers who pinched our space. I probably should have complained to management but just stewed about it all weekend.

Most every booth was set up when we arrived. Dealers are allowed to set up Tuesday, as opposed to our set up on Wednesday, but there is an added fee. I think next year in Chicago I am going to go ahead and pay the extra fee because this is not the first time we have had our tables stolen by other dealers. Though, this is the first time our neighbors pinched our space. It sucked that I had to spend the next five days next to these scumbags who stole part of our space.

So, one neighbor had about four or five guys in the booth selling modern cards. They not only took some of our space but also bled out into the aisle on the other side. They were loud and obnoxious all week. I heard one guy, who clearly has a New York accent, tell everyone he was from California. Yeah, right, buddy. He also had a really bad toupee that I wanted to pull off his head and chuck as far as I could. Nice look, douchebag.

On the other side was a group of guys and kids that had two booths. They not only pinched our space but also took part of the douchebag guy's space then bled out into the back aisle as well. They sold modern cards. The kids sold candy and water that was clearly in violation of the rules located in the dealer packet. I did buy a bottle of water from them for two bucks. Their grandfather came by and tried to hustle me out of my 1954 Topps hockey cards. Sorry buddy, I did not drive two days to Atlantic City to give away my cards. 

We were probably one of the last booths at the show to finish setting up. It took me a while to get everything into the display cases. While I was setting up, I met Lucky Larry from Net54. If you have never been on Net54, you are missing out. Net54 is an online forum dedicated largely to pre-War collecting. There are some incredibly knowledgeable people on there. I check it most every day and, prior to the show, posted on there that I would be at the National and my booth location. Lucky Larry said he was visiting all the Net54 members at the show. 

The convention space was huge. Seemed larger than Rosemont. Also much nicer condition. It may be a newer venue than the Stephens Center in Rosemont. I was confused as to why there were giant fish hanging in the lobby. Nice crowd on Wednesday.

My first sale of the day was to Ryan, who I believe lives in New Jersey. He was my friend Patrick Kampert's doppelganger. I thought maybe it was Patrick at first until I heard that New Jersey accent. Ryan purchased some vintage football cards. He came back the next four days, looked at more cards but did not make any more purchases. Like last year's National, many people stopped by Wednesday and came back each day, some over and over.

Then two guys came by and flipped through many groups of cards and ended up purchasing some 1958 Topps baseball. The guy that purchased the cards had a gritty look while his buddy looked more like a college professor. The gritty guy said his buddy was his accountant.

Mark and Ed, who I met at the National last year in Chicago, purchased my 1951 Bowman Ted Williams and Pee Wee Reese, along with a 1950 Bowman Reese and a 1958 Topps Warren Spahn. Thanks guys!

A random customer purchased my 1968 Topps Game Mickey Mantle. A dealer came by and purchased my 1963, 1968 and 1969 Topps Willie Mays cards. A guy wearing a pineapple print shirt bought my T202 Chief Bender. A customer with a Boston accent purchased my 1961 Topps Juan Marichal rookie.

Sales were pretty good on the first day of the National. I knew the National would end my slow streak and it certainly did its job! I can't remember everything that I sold but it was quite a few cards -- more than I have sold in weeks.

I have to admit that I was annoyed with the dealers set up on either side of me that first day and for the entire show. I also experienced some bad behavior from some other dealers. The one that really pissed me off came by when one of the OBC guys was going through one of my display cases and this other dealer walked up and told him to leave my table and go to his table. What? Them is fighting words. 

Normally, I would have said something to the dealer but I do not get much action from the OBC guys. Quite a few OBC guys stopped by my table all week but not one purchased anything. Traditionally, the OBC guys want to pay less for your cards than you paid yourself. You can't stay in business selling to these guys. Though, I have to say, there are some OBC guys who attend the Chicago Nationals and the Strongsville shows who are excellent customers. None of those guys were in Atlantic City.

As much as I want to rip the OBC guys, I just can't do it because I know they really take care of each other, which I think is very cool. My good friend TJ is in the OBC and has been battling serious health issues for the past decade. His buddies in the OBC have been sending him cards for free so he can keep working on his vintage sets. One even gave him a Namath rookie. So there are some guys in that group that are incredibly kind, compassionate and generous.

Yet a few just seem to get under my skin. I saw the one OBC guy who came to my table every day last year in Chicago and low-balled me on my Dixie Lid Carl Hubbell. Thankfully, I sold that card shortly after the National last year. I think that OBC guy kept looking for it in my display cases in Atlantic City this year but it never appeared. Sorry buddy, you should have bought it last year!

Quite a few cards were offered for sale but every seller was waaayyyy too high. I was offered cards well above the price I could sell them for.

I stopped at the concession stand and purchased a $10 turkey sandwich that was not very good, but I was hungry. A bottle of Diet Coke cost $5. I saw Eddie, from the Orland show, was set up near the concession stand with a group of guys.

I ran into several folks I knew like Tim and Susan Payne who I always love to see. Jeff T. stopped by with a group of cards for sale. I probably should have purchased Jeff's pile which I thought was just a tad too high but after looking at cards that were crazily overpriced all day, Jeff's pile turned out to be a bargain. I saw that Nick Parsons was set up nearby. As I was exiting the bathroom from one of my many trips (diabetics gotta go all the time), JD, one of the best vintage dealers around, socked me in the shoulder. He's got a mean left jab. It is always great to see JD.

I did not get much of a chance to walk around. I did see there was a solid mix of vintage and modern dealers in our general area. We were near the eastern end of the building which was dubbed the "Breaker's Pavilion." They had a stage and were loud the whole week. I am not a fan.

The show ended at 8 p.m. I was tired. I locked all of my cases. Covered them with tarps then Dave and I followed the hordes out of the building. Pulling out of the dealer parking lot was tough the first few days as traffic was at a standstill. Once on the move, it was an easy drive to our lodgings at the Harrah's Casino.

So Harrah's is huge! We got lost in there every day. We eventually found the front desk and check in was easy, thanks to my main man Gregg Klein, Harrah's General Manager. Gregg is a fan of this blog and a vintage card collector to boot. He provided Dave and I with our room all week. I am forever in his debt.

What a room! We were located on the 41st Floor with an amazing view of the Atlantic City coast. Oh my! 

After seeing the casino, Dave and I got a second wind and dropped off our luggage in the room and commenced gambling. Dave likes the slots while I like video poker. A few hours in, I got a text from our buddy Bob, who said he just arrived. Prior to hooking up with Dave, he and Bob partnered at all the big shows in Chicago. I met them about 20 years ago when I used to set up at the Sun-Times show by myself.

This one show I was set up next to Dave and Bob. I had never met them before. Bob was intrigued by the really crappy display case I had that was made out of wood and had a window that slid in and out. My dad picked it up at a garage sale. He originally had two of them but the first one crumbled and fell apart shortly after he gave it to me. The one I used at the Sun-Times show did not last very long either.

So Bob came over and started a conversation with me about the goofy window display case. At one point he told me that he was cornering the market on 1969 Topps Football Dick Shiner cards. I then realized that we would be friends for life.

Bob is one of the funniest guys I know. Dave and I both really enjoy his company. So when he contacted me to see if we were going to the National, I told him to come out to Atlantic City and stay with us at Harrah's. I advised that he bring an air mattress. Bob did not take my advice and slept on the floor of the room all week -- and did not complain! What a champ!!

So that Wednesday was Bob's 56th birthday. Happy Birthday Bob! He stayed out in the casino long after Dave and I went to sleep.

I was in a great mood and went to sleep with a smile on my face on Wednesday night.

Day 2 blog is coming soon.

In the meantime, my Oak Creek show is coming up fast -- Saturday! I am up to 90 dealers and 130 tables. Parking will be tight. Please park across the street in the Target lot.

​Below are some photos from our first day at the National.

The view above is a look out east from my booth. The guy on the left is from Bagger's Auctions. Dave and I have previously set up across from Bagger's at the Moeller show in Cincinnati. Bagger's had a tremendous display of vintage cards in Atlantic City. The booth on the corner with the balloons was kind of weird. There were a bunch of 1980's cards displayed on those shelves.

Pictured above are some cards I saw at a booth nearby.

I saw some great jerseys and T-shirts all week long. This guy was kind enough to pose for a photo. I am a huge ABA fan and needed a photo of that Spirits jersey. I saw another one later in the week. Where do I get one of those? While at the show Wednesday, I texted this photo to my buddy Donny, who is also a huge ABA fan. His return text stated, "You're killing me!"

The photo pictured above is a shot taken to the west of our booth. The guy in the green shirt on the far left had some amazing vintage items in his display case. The guy to the far right in the blue T-shirt is one of our neighbors who pinched our space. He sold modern cards.

Pictured above are your heroes Dave and Tony on the first day of the National.

Tuesday, July 26, 2022, Road Trip To The National

Dave slept hard Monday night into Tuesday morning. So while he slept, I showered, dressed then lugged my cards back to the car. I also brought my luggage to the car then went back up to the room and woke Dave up.

He got ready pretty quick. As I was checking out, I got stuck behind these two guys from Switzerland who took forever to check out. They kept making the clerk print out all sorts of paperwork. When I was finally able to check out, we drove down the road to Denny's. Beautiful scenery in this little mountain town of Beford, PA.

Shortly after we were seated at Denny's, the Swiss guys walked in and were seated behind us. I wanted to chuck some paper wads at them. Anyway, Dave was curious about Bedford, where we spent the night, so he asked the waitress what there was to do in Bedford. She said there was absolutely nothing to do in Bedford. Okay then.

After breakfast we got back on the road to Atlantic City and once again drove through mountains with twisty, turny roads and lots of ugly trucks. We were making great time... too great of time. Dave is one of those guys who likes to get in the car, put his head down and drive and drive until he gets to the destination. I, on the other hand, like to stop and see the sights, eat, if there is time. We had nothing but time. If we kept going, we would have arrived in Atlantic City around 2 p.m. Tuesday. 

Our Atlantic City hotel reservation was for Wednesday, not Tuesday, so we needed to kill some time and then stay at a cheap motel outside of Atlantic City. I convinced Dave to pull over and check out some sights. First we tried to pull off in Reading, PA, to explore. However, we hit local road construction and sat at the Turn Pike exit for what seemed like forever. 

After sitting around the Turn Pike exit for the longest time, we made it to a road off the ramp, took it and got back on to the Turn Pike. There was no way to get to Reading with that road construction because traffic was a parking lot on the road to Reading.

We then saw an antique auto mall located along the highway in Morgantown, PA, and were able to exit the Turn Pike into Morgantown with ease. Wow. What a beautiful old town. We stopped for gas and were able to get directions to the auto mall.

Upon arrival, we observed that the auto mall was located inside a former shopping mall. Once inside we saw that each and every store front contained row after row of antique automobiles. This was a large, single floor, shopping mall. Many of the storefronts still had the signs from the former retail occupants. The hallways leading to the stores were all filled with cars. This place was massive and most impressive!

We spent a few hours there checking out all of the cars. There was some cool stuff from Model T's to Dodge Vipers. Dave and I enjoyed the really, really old cars. Everything was for sale. I considered purchasing one of the cars. As you recall, I no longer own a vehicle. Though, I realized I could not drive a 1922 Ford to card shows.

Both Dave and I really enjoyed the auto mall and we were able to kill some time. Back on the road, it seemed like we arrived in the Philadelphia area quickly. The Philadelphia skyline looks pretty cool in the distance. Our route took us just past Downtown Philly to the Walt Whitman bridge over the Delaware River.

From the bridge we had a great view of Downtown Philly. Then we drove past the Wells Fargo Center where the 76ers and the Flyers play, then past the Lincoln Financial Field where the Eagles play, then past Citizen Bank Park where the Phillies play. All three stadiums were located near each other which is a lot different than my hometown of Chicago where none of the professional sports stadiums are located near one another.

On the other side of the Delaware River, we entered into New Jersey, a first for both Dave and me. I expected to see rough ghetto area on the other side of Philly into New Jersey but the road was surrounded by forests. We were impressed by the number of state trucks we saw picking up litter from the side of the road.

Prior to the road trip, I researched the Atlantic City area and saw that it is a high crime location, so we planned to stay a good half hour or more out and away from Atlantic City. We stopped around 4 p.m. in the town of Blackwood, NJ, and pulled up to a Howard Johnsons. For some reason, I thought these all closed down. I probably have not stayed at a HoJo since the 1970's.

Check in was easy. This time I picked a room on the first floor with a door to the parking lot so it would be easy to bring in my cards. Once settled in, we watched some TV and chilled out until we got hungry.

Dave said he wanted to get a burger at a sports bar. We found just the place located across the street from HoJo's called Skeeter's. Dave ordered a Reuben and a Yuengling Beer. Apparently, Yuengling is the oldest brewery in the USA, going back to 1862. Dave really liked that Yuengling beer and drank a few. He said the Reuben as average. I went with the Buffalo wings and a Founders All Day IPA, brewed in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The wings were okay. I've had better. The Founders was very good. Also, our waitress was really cute and attentive. I definitely recommend Skeeter's.

Once back at Hojo's, we spent the rest of the night watching the Mets-Yankees game on TV. We could almost taste the National. I was gitty.

I know my pal Mike Slinkman has hated these past two blogs but I think others wanted to hear about the drive. Next blog will be about the first day of the National.

!!Reminder!! My Oak Creek show is coming up this Saturday, Aug. 6. I've got 88 freakin' dealers!!! 128 tables. It is going to be a cluster&$#% to fit in all of these tables and dealers. Should be a great show!!!

Below are some photos from the second day of our road trip.

Illinois flatlanders, Dave and I, enjoyed these tunnels through the mountains of Pennsylvania.

The next four photos below are from the Antique Auto Mall in Morgantown, PA.

Next up are some photos from the Walt Whitman Bridge in Philadelphia.

Monday, July 25, 2022, Road Trip To The National

Dave arrived to my house at 9:30 a.m. We packed my stuff into his car and were on the road to Atlantic City by 10 a.m. The first half of the drive is a path well traveled by Dave and I as we take it every year to the Strongsville vintage show. So the drive from Chicago to Cleveland was typical. Lots of road construction on the I294 around Chicago then into Indiana. Once past the road construction, it was smooth sailing to Cleveland. We assumed every car on the road was heading to the National.

I think it was just after Cleveland or once we got into Pennsylvania where we had some issues. We came upon some road construction where traffic abruptly stopped. Up ahead there was nothing but break lights. Dave was able to stop the car. However, there was a speeding semi-truck behind us, who was unable to stop and had to drive up on the shoulder to avoid slamming into the back of our car. That was scary!

Eventually the truck got back behind us and we were stuck in the construction traffic for quite a while. At one point Dave was fiddling with his seat belt and did not move fast enough for the trucker so the A-Hole started honking at us. First he almost killed us then had the audacity to honk at us because we weren't moving fast enough to only stop again in traffic just up ahead. I hope karma gets that guy!

We took I76 into Pennsylvania which was new terrain for both of us. I have previously driven through Pennsylvania on I80 but never I76. This was Dave's first time in Pennsylvania and he was looking forward to the scenery which did not disappoint. I do not remember Pennsylvania being so mountainous.

Seemed like we were in mountains the whole way to Philadelphia. Twisty, turny roads, some along cliffs. Lots of trucks. Seemed like most of the vehicles on the road were large trucks. At one point, we were in the left lane and a truck in the right lane just starting coming over into our lane. I let out a yelp. The truck came inches within striking our car before pulling back into the right lane. WFT! These truckers suck!!!

We drove a while into the night but pulled off because the trucks just made driving a nightmare. We stopped at a Taco Bell in Bedford, Pa., then got a room at a Super 8 nearby. I carried my cards into the room, which was a hassle because we were on the second floor and there was no elevator. The parking lot was well lit but I don't think I would have been able to sleep with my cards exposed in the car all night.

I fell asleep watching Godfather II on TV. Day one of the National Trip was in the books. I was thankful I was still alive after some harrowing experiences with psycho truck drivers.